For a long stretch in the NFL 3 cornerbacks were universally considered the best in the business in Darrelle Revis (New York Jets/T. Bay Bucs/New England Patriots), Richard Sherman (Seattle Seahawks) and Patrick Peterson (Arizona Cardinals).

The NFL went through a long draft run in which there were more first and second round pick busts and underachievers at the cornerback spot than starters in the league and the emergence nationally of 7-on-7 football in the high school ranks seemingly was cranking out many more top wide receivers than defenders.

But just like 7-on-7 affected the offensive side of the ball it has also had a positive impact in the secondary.

In a span of 5 years four elite cornerbacks have entered the NFL.

Xavier Rhodes-2013 (Minnesota Vikings)

Marcus Peters-2015 (Kansas City Chiefs)

Jalen Ramsey- 2016(Jacksonville Jaguars)

Marshon Lattimore-2017(New Orleans Saints)

You can make a strong argument today that Rhodes, Peters, Ramsey and Lattimore are four of the top five cornerbacks playing in the NFL today.

And you throw in the young talents of Darius Slay (Detroit Lions), A.J. Bouye (Jacksonville Jaguars), Tre’Davious White (Buffalo Bills), Adoree’ Jackson (Tennessee Titans) and Trumaine Johnson (Los Angeles Rams) and fears about the coverage part of the game are quickly fading away.

The Saints did deal tight end Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks for a quality starting center Max Unger, but 8 players via the draftin six years is just not very good no matter how you evaluate it, and it was a major reason the Saints went 7-9 three straight seasons.

But in 2016 the Saints started to look at things differently and with the help of assistant general manager/college scouting director Jeff Ireland changes were made and his influence on Sean Payton has put the Saints on the fast track in the NFL with a 7-2 mark in 2017.

The Saints also were able to land a starting cornerback in Ken Crawley after he went undrafted from Colorado, reserve cornerback De’Vante Harris after he also went undrafted coming out of Texas A&M, wide receiver/return man Tommylee Lewis, another undrafted performer who was recommended to Sean Payton by NFL Hall of Fame head coach Bills Parcells and place-kicker Wil Lutz from Georgia State.Lutz was released in the final round of cuts by the Baltimore Ravens and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh highly recommended to Payton that he sign the strong-legged kicker.

Then the Saints hit the motherload of players in the 2017 NFL draft.

This draft class looks as though it will seriously challenge the 1981, 1986 and 2006 draft classes by the New Orleans Saints for the very best in team history.

Cornerback Marshon Lattimore is the best cornerback in team history. At a position in which is difficult to master early in a career Lattimore has quickly established himself as one of the elite cover men in pro football. Offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk looks to be a future Pro Bowl performer at the right tackle position. As a rookie Ramczyk has started at both left and right tackle for the Saints and he played only one year of major college football at Wisconsin.Free Safety Marcus Williams is a very smart football player with excellent ballhawk skills.

Halfback Alvin Kamara is the Saints version of what the Falcons have in Devonta Freeman as a speed back who runs with power and he is a terrific receiver coming out of the backfield. While wiry-thin Kamara runs with great overall strength and he has the unique skillset to turn power into speed out on the field.

The Saints defensive staff is very high on former Florida outside linebacker Alex Anzalone and he was a starter at the weakside linebacker spot before going down to an arm/wrist injury.

​Defensive end Trey Hendrickson is an all-out performer and he has played very well as a situational pass rusher. Defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad was very impressive rushing the quarterback in preseason and the team feels as though with more technical work he has a chance to be a starting player in the NFL.

The Saints were also able to pick up former Northwestern slot wide receiver Austin Carr after he was released in the final cut by the New England Patriots, undrafted halfback Trey Edmunds not only impressed the team with his hard-charging rushing skills, but also on special teams and the Saints picked up wide receiver-turned-safety in Justin Hardee after he was cut by the Houston Texans. Hardee has been an impact performer for the team on special teams.The team also likes the future development of undrafted free agent offensive center Cameron Tom and former BYU quarterback Taysom Hill who they picked up after the Green Bay Packers released him in the final round of cuts.

That influx of young talent has made quite a difference for a franchise that desperately needed to jump-start their football team. The two-year personnel makeover has been the difference for the Black and Gold.

The Saints are not only built for today, but also built for future years.

@Thibodauxreg@MikeDetillier@JenHale504With the NBA All-Star break and the game itself Fox Sports broadcaster and spokesperson for Thibodaux Regional Hospital Jen Hale took a little time away from the basketball hardwood to cover the Westminster Dog Agility Championships in New York City. I got a chance to catch up with Jen Hale in her second stint covering the championships for Fox Sports 1.

Jen, It's your second year covering the Westminster Agility Championships. First of all, you have told me you grew up around animals and dogs and so how impressed are you with the attitudes and discipline of the animals that participate in these events?"Mike, I was born in New Orleans, but I grew up on a small farm outside of Mobile, Alabama. We raised cows, chickens and pigs, and of course had cats and dogs and raccoons and rabbits as pets. These dogs and this event take me back to my childhood - that's why I love doing it so much.The bond between owner and canine athlete is so strong and so apparent. You can't help but smile and enjoy watching the two work together as a team. Both dog and owner cherish the chance to compete and spend quality time together. The love and connection between the two is palpable."

The coverage of these events have certainly grown throughout the years, but in the late 1950's and early 1960's these championships for the Westminster Dog Show were cover stories for Sport Magazine and also Sports Illustrated. Tell us a little about the coverage not only in the states, but worldwide for these championships?"Right now, the Westminster Agility Trials are being held at Pier 94 in New York. I envision them moving soon into Madison Square Garden along with the Best in Show event because of growing interest and demand. I also was on the Fox Sports 1 announcing team for last year's event and this participation exploded by 40% this year. The show had to turn away hopefuls who wanted to compete in the preliminary rounds because Pier 94 didn't have enough space to accommodate everyone who wanted to compete." Jen, you had an opportunity to speak to the trainers of the dogs involved and so give the readers a little insight in the training and hours involved with getting these dogs ready for competition?"These truly are canine athletes, and so handler and dog treat the sport that way. You must be very dedicated to succeed at this competition at a high level. It's only through time invested that you get the type of communication and familiarity one needs to be a hopeful champion. That being said, agility is also a fantastic sport to just invest in time together with your dog if you don't want to take it to the top levels of competition. That's why its appeal is so large - one can do it at so many levels and enjoy such a rewarding experience."

The special diets and care given to these special dogs are so regimented. Touch upon what you have seen and how this is handled by the owners and trainers of the dogs involved?"They truly are canine athletes: they are stretched, exercised, hydrated, fed on a very strict regiment come competition day. The preliminary rounds start early in the morning, then the championship that night. Needless to say, it's a very long day. The handlers treat their canine athletes the same way a coach would treat human athletes on the day of a double header." Jen, give us your most interesting storyline this year."The All-American dogs have been a tremendous story to follow. In essence, they are the “mutts” or the non-pure bred competitors. Westminster started allowing them to compete last year. I treasure the fact that there are so many rescue dogs, competing and excelling in the Agility Championship. It’s a life lesson about how everyone has value. Some of these dogs were days away from leaving this world. The energy, love and skill these dogs have is amazing to watch. The blood lines don't matter. It’s about heart. We can all learn from that and be inspired by that feature."Tell us a little about the Canine Cancer Feature:"Last year, the crew with Fox Sports 1 had the pleasure of working with former Olympian and current-day dog enthusiast Greg Louganis. This year, we had the honor of working with Terry Simons as our analyst. He has a foundation dedicated to curing canine cancer. It’s doing incredible work. That’s a cause near and dear to my heart: I lost my golden retriever Rhett to cancer - lymphoma. I encourage everyone to look Terry and his foundation up. It’s called CLEAR Canine Cancer: www.clearcaninecancer.com."

You are representing Fox Sports in their coverage, but also you are the women's spokesperson for Thibodaux Regional Hospital. There is such a connection between the sports world and the reality of people and animals that have suffered an injury or fighting a disease."Mike, I love the honor of being able to represent Thibodaux Regional Medical Center because this hospital is such an innovator in methods to help patients. TRMC is on the cutting edge, and it’s amazing to watch everything they’re doing and I have the pleasure of being a small part of it. In terms of animals, they’ve been a part of my family since my earliest memory. I believe they have an indescribable power to comfort, inspire, understand – in situations where humans can’t or don’t. We used a stat this year that I found just remarkable. A dog is the only mammal besides a human who seeks eye contact on a regular basis besides a human. From personal experience, I know this is true! My dogs and I always shared a bond that was unable to be quantified or qualified, they have a soul. They also have the capacity to love without any trace of judgment. Isn’t that an amazing gift that we could all use more of?"

﻿﻿Wednesday night Charles “Laury” Dupont was inducted into the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame.

In 40 years of coaching “Coach Dupe” accumulated a 229-99 win/loss record, 11 district championships, three state championships and four Class 2A state runner-up teams.

Emile Gauchet, who spearheaded prep football coverage for WWL-870 radio for over 15 years says, that Dupont was a major influence on football in South Louisiana. “He is one of the true legends of the game not only by what he did on the sidelines, but also by teaching players about life matters. Some of the best postgame speeches I have ever heard came from the mouth of Laury Dupont. He is one of the great gentlemen of this sport.”

Dupont was head coach at Thibodaux High School , 21 years at West St. John High School and he ended his coaching career with four years at Vandebilt Catholic High School. “It’s a humbling experience,” Dupont said. “It is the pinnacle for what a coach wants to do on the field and I am humbled to be honored by my peers. I am very honored and it is really something special when you are included in a group of great players and coaches, and certainly to be included in a group that has Buddy Marcello in it.”

Dupont vividly remembers his early coaching days working for Pat Szush. “Coach Pat Szush had a great influence on my career from when he coached at E.D. White and Thibodaux High School and when he hired me he also hired a bunch of young coaches that were spitting fire and brimstone. I became a head coach at Thibodaux High School in 1982 and I don’t know if I was fully ready, but I am not sure you are really fully ready for your first coaching spot. I know we won more games than we lost, but Pat Szush had a great career impact on the success I had and the success my teams had. He preached about family first, school second and athletics third. I didn’t have a lot of rules because if it was too many you got more rules to break. My golden rules were the players don’t curse and the coaches won’t curse you, you don’t steal and you don’t lie. If I brought one of those kids in my office I already knew the truth, so he better not lie to me.”

His jump to West St. John High School brought great success on the field and it also put him up against some of the best coaches in high school football. “River Parish football is unique. It is really like the movie “Friday Night Lights”. These young men wanted to make such an impression and put on a show for everyone. I would tell the young men that this was like a movie or a restaurant. If the movie is not good you are not coming back to see it again and if the food is bad you are not going back to the same restaurant. I am so proud of what my kids did on the field, but I am most proud of maybe helping build a foundation for making a life outside of football and working well with others. When you played on the River on the other side were coaches like Rick Gaille, Tim Detillier, Lou Valdin, Mickey Roussel, Tim Robicheaux and the athletes you faced were guys like LaRon Landry, Ed Reed, Dawan Landry, Jarvis Landry- my goodness he took over late in a game like no one I had ever coached against and I could go on and on. It was a challenge each week, but I can say every one of those teams we faced played in the SuperDome for the title. You were toughened late in the year by who you played throughout the season. I know today in entering the Hall of Fame I will be followed by those other coaches one day.”

Like most coaches Dupont remembers the state championships, but the ones he lost stick in his mind also. “In 1992 we didn’t have good special teams and it cost us and then in 1993 and 1994 we lost to the University of Evangel ” Dupont laughingly said. “They were a great team, but we held our own against them.”

Dupont said his most memorable win was in 1998 against Mickey Roussel’s undefeated Riverside High School team. “We had a few injuries during the season and lost to them, but we were on different sides of the brackets and we ended up playing for the whole ball of wax. We were healthy and won it against a great team and great coach in Mickey. The community just wrapped themselves up in the win and it was the first time a state title was won for the area since Terry Robiskie and 2nd Ward High School won it back in the early 1970’s. It was just a great feeling.”

In the early 2000’s Dupont had a great run coaching future NFL performers in defensive lineman Tyson Jackson and running back Quinn Johnson. “I had two outstanding players in Quinn and Tyson and it was something to see coaches like Nick Saban and Lou Holtz around and we had coaches from USC, UCLA, Miami ( Fla. ) and Florida State around the campus. In 2003 we had eight Division-1 scholarship players. It brought some interesting recruiting stories. One of the most interesting was that of the recruitment of defensive end Tyson Jackson by Nick Saban and LSU and Miami ( Fla. ) getting involved.

“Tyson committed to Nick Saban and LSU early, but Miami ( Fla. ) came in late to try and get him to visit the school. Tyson assured me we would not go to Miami . One of my coaches called to tell me Coach Saban called and wanted to know if it was true that Tyson was visiting Miami . I told him no, that Tyson was playing basketball and he wasn’t going to Miami . The next day Tyson’s picture was on the front page of the Miami Herald and he had gone to visit the Hurricanes. To say Saban was upset was an understatement. He was livid and he lit into Tyson pretty good when he got back about his commitment and I heard about it too. To tell you the truth Tyson went only because he had never been on a plane before. That is the real reason.”

Another tremendous player Dupont coached was former Vandebilt and current UL-Lafayette star halfback Elijah McGuire. “Elijah is quite a young man. He worked so hard to get his grades in line and what a player. He was electric out on the field. He could cut on a dime and hit full speed as well as anyone, but it was his work ethic that stuck out. As a sophomore being the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year is such an honor. He has a chance to be special in college and in the pros. I will steal a line from you and say he is Louisiana ’s version of Reggie Bush.”

Dupont also recalled about being a huge LSU Tiger fan growing up and listening to the games on the radio. “Being from this part of the country I was such a big fan of Don Schwab, Joe Labruzzo and Mike Hillman, guys from on the bayou. I grew up such an LSU Tiger fan, but back then it was listening to LSU football on the radio with John Ferguson telling you about the game. It’s different today. The game has changed on how it is coached and today some of these high school athletes get as much recognition as college players. Television and the 7 on 7 tournaments have changed the football world.”

Dupont know the sacrifices of being a coach and also not having an 8-hour schedule to work and missing time from your family. “I think some people don’t realize the sacrifices a family makes when you are a coach. You miss a lot of events and family situations, but my family, children and my wife Jan never missed a game and were always in the stands. There is a lot of time away from home and you also are dealing with young men that need some guidance at times. In coaching at West St. John either you were from a family with a good job or from a family with no job. There was no middle class and it was part of my job to help those young men. Great understanding from my wife and kids and I love Jan today more than the day I married her. She’s a very special lady.”

Coach Dupe, now a spokesperson for Thibodaux Regional Medical Center , loves his new job, but like all coaches he still has that competitive fire burning. “Working for Thibodaux Regional Hospital is a great experience. Getting to work with some of the best people in their field, Greg Stock, the entire athletic training program and Coach Rod (Don Rodrigue) is fantastic, but like all coaches coaching is always in your blood. You never lose that desire to coach. I am like a boxer who thinks he has one more fight in him. I can say I truly loved coaching and getting put into the Louisiana High School Hall of Fame is the greatest honor I could have received.”﻿﻿

Congratulations to Thibodaux Regional Hospital and CEO Greg Stock for being recognized as "Business of the Year" by the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce during its 48th annual banquet Thursday night at the Thibodaux Civic Center. Thibodaux Regional is the fastest-growing hospital in the Bayou Region with an annual impact of over $175 million. In January of 2016, Thibodaux Regional is planning to complete their new $73 million dollar Wellness/Orthopedic Clinic which will be a one of a kind facility in the state and in the Gulf South Region. "I overheard someone say that we have technical changes going in our industry, and we have to perform well, as well as figure out which way to go. So we really appreciate the chamber's support," Greg Stock said. "We've tried to establish our culture around certain terms in our vision. One is individual excellence and team excellence. When you have a group of people that are willing to be accountable, not because we are making them and it's something inside of them, you have a great chance to win for the patients. That is what Thibodaux Regional stands for." This year's Chamber of Commerce banquet had former New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and UL-Lafayette quarterback Jake Delhomme as the guest speaker.

This week the New Orleans Saints unofficially made the decision that Rob Ryan was returning to the team for another year as defensive coordinator. That was the right choice made by head coach Sean Payton. This team has been through Gary Gibbs, Gregg Williams, Steve Spagnuolo and now Rob Ryan as defensive coordinators under Sean Payton. The question now is not about coaching, but about personnel. Just ask yourself the simple question. If you are the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens or the Green Bay Packers who would you swap starter for starter with if you were any of the above five teams? With the exception of cornerback Keenan Lewis, middle linebacker Curtis Lofton and despite a disappointing season, defensive end Cam Jordan, if you were any of those teams you probably wouldn’t trade any of your starters other than for the three named Saints players. I have to give an incomplete evaluation right now to free safety Jairus Byrd since he is coming off of back and knee surgery, but if you can only have four players that you have to seriously think about it goes to show that the Saints issues on defense belong on the personnel side and finding the right “fit” players for Ryan’s defense. My question is who made the decision to bring in veteran cornerback Champ Bailey, outside linebacker Victor Butler and defensive lineman Kenyon Coleman via veteran free agency and why is this team constantly proclaiming that cornerback Patrick Robinson is a “starting” cornerback when it has been obvious for the past three seasons he doesn’t have the ball reaction skills to start at the NFL level.

LSU defensive end Danielle Hunter became the third Tiger defender to announce they would give up their senior season of college football to turn pro early. The 6-4, 259 pound defender projects as a second round pick for the 2015 NFL draft and I currently have the MortonRanch High School in Texasstandout ranked as the 43rd best overall player for the late April draft. In 2014 Hunter registered 73 tackles, 1 ½ quarterback sacks, 13 tackles for losses, 6 pass deflections, 2 quarterback hurries and he forced one fumble. Hunter’s low sack total has been a cause of debate on just how good of a pass rusher the speedy edge rusher is. I do know Hunter is an athlete of the highest level and his potential as a pass rusher will have him going either late in Round 1 or very early in Round 2. “I just laugh when I hear LSU folks criticize him for not being a good football player or much of a pass rusher,” an SEC offensive line coach told me this week. “Stats are deceiving sometimes. The folks that are critical of him never had to figure out how to block him or try and block him. When we have played against him we paid special attention to making sure we had help in blocking him in pass rush situations. This year we used a back or a tight end to help out in obvious passing situations. He knows how to use his arms and hands well to come off of a block, but he doesn’t seem to have a great array of moves and countermoves to get to the passer. That’s not a talent issue, but a coaching issue on LSU’s part. He has one hard “speed” move, but even with a limited set of moves, he was tough to block. Hunter is a very instinctive player and he can chase down backs with ease from the backside. He is not as explosive an edge rusher like Barkevious Mingo was at LSU, but he is a far more physical player and a much better run defender than Mingo was.” With Hunter declaring early it assures that LSU will have a defensive lineman drafted in 12 straight years. No college can come close to matching that type of success in recruiting and developing defensive linemen for the NFL. If Hunter goes in Round 2 as I project it will also mark the 10th time in those 12 straight years that LSU will have a defensive linemen selected in the top 88 picks.

When the 2014 pro football season started there were 14 defensive backs playing in the NFL with their roots in the state of Louisiana. No other state has produced more NFL defensive backs over the last four years than the state of Louisiana and the Pelican state will add to the mix again in 2015 with the addition of Tulane cornerback Lorenzo Doss, LSU strong safety Ronald Martin and Alabama safety Landon Collins, who prepped at Dutchtown High School in Geismer.

Another Louisiana product to watch is Northwestern State (LA.) cornerback Imoan Claiborne, who earned 1st team All-Southland Conference honors in 2014 and has been invited to play in the 2015 Senior Bowl. I have Claiborne projected as a 5th or 6th round pick for the 2015 NFL draft and he will do very well in the one-on-one drills due to his outstanding athleticism leading up to the late April draft.

In 2014 Claiborne intercepted 4 passes, had 7 pass break-ups and he registered 3 fumble recoveries. Claiborne was voted to the Sports Network All-America team for 2014.

The former Alexandria High School product is anxious to showcase his skills for the NFL.

"I wasn't a very highly recruited player, only three schools offered, " Claiborne said. " I was a pretty good basketball player and a track sprinter, but I loved football. I just want to show the NFL that I am a physical player, very focused on my assignments and I just want to win. My coaches from junior high school and up just kept preaching to me about taking care of business on and off the field and that is what I am about. I really played more on the offensive side as a high school player, so I feel as though I can learn a lot more about the cornerback slot, but I won't be outworked out on the field and off it. I pattern my game after Brent Grimes with the Miami Dolphins. He's not the biggest, but he is the biggest when it comes down to fighting for position and for the football. I respect him a lot."Claiborne says that growing up he admired Terrell Owens and he does have a favorite NFL team.

"Being a former wide receiver I really admired how good and how physical a player T.O. was with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. He was a great competitor and he could just pluck the ball out of the sky with ease. I will be thrilled and honored to whoever selects me and I will do my best to make them proud they selected me, but my favorite team growing up was the New Orleans Saints. I am a "Who Dat" guy."

This past Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of the death of New Orleans television/radio/newspaper legend Buddy Diliberto. I partnered with Buddy D on radio shows for over a dozen years on WWL-870 before his death, and I have enough stories about the legendary Buddy Diliberto that it would read as thick as War and Peace, the Russian version. The one story I get asked about the most is how Diliberto got kicked off the New Orleans Saints team plane. At that time it was the norm for the local press to fly with the team on away games, but for Buddy D it became a calling card for his titanium backbone to speak for folks that didn’t have a great voice on what was right and what was wrong for his hometown team.For the thousands that have asked me they have heard the story, but for the many who haven’t heard I share with you the story. In 1972 Buddy Diliberto was the only local sports reporter to be critical of then-Saints owner John Mecom, Jr. and he was on the thinnest of ice to begin with, but Mecom hired Dick Gordon to become the Saints new executive Vice President/general manager. Gordon had no sports roots at all and he was known because he was a Gemini and Apollo astronaut. NASA was making major cuts to the space program and Gordon retired from NASA and also the United States Navy. Gordon's hiring had more to do with him being a celebrity, Gordon being invited to the “chic parties”, getting pictures taken with stars and politicians and being a national hero, than knowledge of the game. Within a month of getting the top spot with the Saints Gordon spoke at the Saints Touchdown Club in New Orleansand proclaimed that the New Orleans Saints were just three players away from going to the Super Bowl. In 1971 the Saints were 4 wins, 8 losses and 2 ties. Diliberto just couldn’t wait to get back to the studios of then-ABC Channel 8 to give his 6 p.m. sports broadcast commentary and uttered the lines that “New Orleans Saints new Vice-President and general manager Dick Gordon says that the Saints are just three players away from the Super Bowl. What he didn’t tell you was that the three players were God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.” Within an hour of the broadcast Diliberto was paid a visit by Mecom’s top lieutenant Fred Williams and told he was banned from the Saints plane for life, plus ten years. In typical Buddy D fashion he tried to explain how ridiculous the comments Gordon made were, but Williams told him the decision was final, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. Diliberto asked what the life plus ten years meant and Williams told him, “Buddy, just in case you are the second Lazarus, Mr. Mecom has his bases covered.” It was a typical Buddy D. story, and I do miss getting those two daily phone calls from him no matter where I was. He was indeed a one of a kind guy to be around.